Daily Tip: Make Sure You Are ALWAYS Using Proper Posture
I saw this girl leaning forward because she was walking up a slight slope and not only did it look odd it is going to eventually cause her a lot of chronic lower back pain as she gets older. Your body is amazing each muscle supporting every move you make and if you walk in an unnatural way those muscles you are not working begin to atrophy and the ones that are picking up that slack are working too hard. Eventually they can weaken and shorten causing pain later in life that can be corrected but it will take a lot of physical therapy and retraining of your bad habit and body. Your posture is so important from aiding in digestion to keeping you safe from crime, seriously its true. Body language tells people who you are which can also make you a target for certain crimes.
I know it sounds ridiculous but think about it for a bit, investigate body language and I think you will see what I am talking about. When you walk hunched over, leaning forward or looking at the ground you appear to be an easier target. You don't seem confident or aware of your surroundings but when you stand tall, walk at a decent pace and look around you being aware of your surroundings and not as easy of a target. Now it doesn't mean you wont be attacked anyone can be a victim at any time but it helps from some petty crime. It's about perception and how you are perceived. My grandfather was a Chicago cop along with countless other relatives, sorry typical Irish Chicago family and he drilled me about safety and ran through scenarios every time I saw him that I have to admit have saved me more times then I like to admit. Sometimes all it takes is making them think you can take care of yourself.
I am 5'11" so my mother was always correcting my posture, back then being tall was an anomoly so I would try to look shorter not today though I will rock 4 inch heels and love being the tallest woman in the room. She would tell me I should be proud of my height and all those kids were just jealous because I looked like a model. I was also barely 115 lbs soaking wet so I thought I looked like Olive Oil. Even when I sat she would correct me telling me that it will make my food digest better by my senior year of high school I started to stand tall and started wearing heels and looking back I see it changed everything about me. I was more confident, maybe or I was perceived as being more confident. I started getting asked out by guys I thought were out of my circle and I would go out and all of the sudden I was the one getting hit on not my friends. So from personal experience STAND UP STRAIGHT, do the check. Shoulders up and back, hold your head high but up in the air we are looking for squaring off your body. It should also look natural but that could take some time to get to that ease.
If you want to lose 5 pounds for that date tomorrow just use proper posture. When you start you will feel muscles working that you didn't before. You stomach will be engaged because it helps support your back, you will feel your lower back as well as your glutes as they work the way they are suppose to and you will feel it in your scapula. If you find your muscles are getting sore it means that they have suffered from some atrophy and you would benifit from some minor strength training but in the end that back pain you suffer from should subside. When your stomach is engaged it looks thinner, when your glutes are engaged your butt looks lifted. When you walk your arms are meant to swing I don't mean crazy swing about 5 to 6 inches in front and behind you. This gives you balance as well as working those shoulder muscles, it also gives you a little swagger which is attitude, a little attitude is good. Its that 'dont mess with me' walk that makes you less of a target. When I was living in Chicago taking the subway I would play a song in my head while I walked, don't laugh first it was Social Distortion and it helped make me feel I could handle myself.
Poor posture can affect your mood, the way your body works and the way people percieve you, we do live in a world that judges you on that first impression. Obviously you can change someones impression of you but why set yourself up for an uphill battle. Walk in as the confident, strong woman you are or that you want to be. We always hear this 'fake it till you mean it' and its a bit chiche but its true if you keep forcing yourself to be happy or believe you are confident eventually you will believe it. Here is my theory on why that works, when you give that impression you begin to be treated that way and in turn you start to believe their perception of you. Karma is the energy you put out is the energy you get back, people seem to be misguided on what karma is. Studies have shown that a fake smile produces the same chemicals in your brain as a genuine smile so eventually that fake smile will turn into a real smile.
Good posture will:
Make you look thinner
Make you appear more confident
Ensure you are using your body properly
Eliviate back pain
Make your clothes fit better
Aid in digestion
Possibly protect you from being a victim
Change the way people percieve you
Style is about more then clothes, its about the way you walk, your smile and the way you affect the world around you.